Medford man spreads word, water while riverboarding

GOLD HILL — At first, it looks like Dan Bryant is just floating slowly down the Rogue River on a sunny Saturday afternoon, but a closer look shows he's clinging to a bungee cord that's anchored to a tree on the bank, with the cord getting tighter by the second.

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By RYAN PFEIL

MailTribune.com

By RYAN PFEIL

Posted Sep. 1, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Sep 1, 2013 at 2:25 AM

By RYAN PFEIL

Posted Sep. 1, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Sep 1, 2013 at 2:25 AM

» Social News

GOLD HILL — At first, it looks like Dan Bryant is just floating slowly down the Rogue River on a sunny Saturday afternoon, but a closer look shows he's clinging to a bungee cord that's anchored to a tree on the bank, with the cord getting tighter by the second.

When the line stretches to the point of no more give, Bryant rises from the water and shoots back upstream on a large board that carves a foamy line through the current before the line goes slack, allowing Bryant and the board to sink back down. Bryant, 46, claims it's nothing impressive.

"The water is just weak," he says of the river stretch at the Gold Hill Sports Park. "The faster the water, the easier it is."

Weak or not, Bryant, a Medford landscaper, is hoping to show that the 200-plus miles of the Rogue are actually 200-plus miles of playground for the boat-free, fuel-free sport of riverboarding. In an endeavor that has lasted for two years so far, he is cataloging all the places to riverboard along the river's full length.

Although his pastime has been slow to catch on with watersports enthusiasts, he still believes it can become as mainstream as wakeboarding or water skiing. "It's the Lewis and Clark expedition of 2013," Bryant says of his latest attempt to raise the visibility of riverboarding. "It's a big endeavor. I really believe the world would appreciate it."

Bryant, who has been riverboarding for more than 30 years and created an organization called the National River Board Association, so far has found 22 pristine spots along the Rogue where riverboarding is a good fit, including stretches along Valley of the Rogue State Park and near Dodge Bridge.

The Big Windy Complex fire that had torched more than 24,000 acres as of Saturday put a temporary crimp in Bryant's quest, but he hopes to get back out there soon, riders in tow.

"What I'm trying to do is tell the world that this is so much fun, and here are all the places to go to do it," he says.

Garland Carson of Central Point, another fan of the sport, says riverboarding is low-maintenance and great for getting in shape.